Downvalley

<b>Photo courtesy Erin Vega </b>Parents and kids ponder their pumpkin possibilities during the 2011 Eagle Ranch Pumpkin Patch. The annual event is planned this Saturday, Oct. 6, from 10 to 2 p.m. at the Brush Creek Park. All pumpkins will be sold for $5 each and there are many family friendly games and activities planned. New this year will be a Pumpkin Chukin event, which will award prizes to the folks who toss a pumpkin closest to a target.

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Halloween is just three weeks away and Eagle Ranch wants to help area residents pluck the perfect pumpkin for the party.

On Saturday, Oct. 6, Brush Creek Park will be transformed into a pumpkin patch of plentifully preposterous proportions. The event is planned from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. All pumpkins are priced at $5.

"Bring the whole family and find a perfect pumpkin," said organizer Erin Vega. "Plan to spend the whole morning visiting the haunted barn, carving pumpkins, playing festive fall games, enjoying pony rides, sipping cider and taking in the beautiful morning at the site of a former working ranch."

Children will also have an option to work off some of that pre-Halloween energy in four bouncy castles. A $10 fee buys an unlimited bouncing pass. While the kids play, grown-ups can peruse a silent auction benefiting the Sunshine Mountain Preschool. Food, games and fun are planned for the whole family.

For more information, please call Erin Vega at (970) 328-2172.

What's a Halloween season without a scare or two?

The Eagle Valley Middle School football program will again oblige that urge by presenting the Haunted Barn at Eagle Ranch.

The barn will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 during the Eagle Ranch Pumpkin Patch event. The "haunting" will be age appropriate.

The Haunted Barn will also operate Friday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Oct. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is $4 or $10 for a three-scare pack.

For more information, call 970-331-5502.

It's that time of year again when all Medicare beneficiaries should be reviewing their Medicare supplements and prescription benefits.

Senior Medicare Specialist Kate Neuschaefer will be assisting senior citizens with what is new for the 2013 season. This includes prescription drug plans, Medicare supplements, vision and dental plans, and long-term care.

Neuschaefer will be available at the Golden Eagle Senior Center, 715 Broadway in Eagle, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Nov. 6. There will also be a presentation after lunch on Oct. 23 at 12:30 p.m.

For questions, call Neuschaefer at 303-810-8469. The Golden Eagle Senior Center can be reached at 719-836-3366.

The Ekahi Grill in Gypsum has new hours and is now serving breakfast.

The Hawaiian restaurant is at 116 Park St. Its new hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

"Please inquire inside for a sample of the breakfast menu," said owner Danny Woolsey.

The restaurant also does catering and can be reached at 970-524-4745.

Team Keepin 'em Real will be hosting the second annual Crawlin' To A Cure next Saturday at the Eagle County Fairgrounds.

Tickets are $10 for everyone age 6 and older.

The event will include timed laps run with all classes.

"No matter what time people show up they can see stock jeeps and race buggies," said organizer Vikki Hobbs. "The fun starts at 2 p.m. and continues to 10 p.m. and there will be food vendors and a beer tent set up for the event."

This November, Team Keepin 'em Real will be participating in the Susan G. Komen 3Day for the Cure in Phoenix. The 3Day is a 60-mile walk - 20 miles per day for three days.

"This is our fifth 3Day and we are honored to be crewing this year," said Hobbs.

This year the team will be serving lunch rather than walking 60 miles.

"We will be getting up at 4 a.m. and we will be bused to a different location each day to set up tents and serve lunch to the more than 2,000 walkers," said Hobbs. "We are all very excited because crewing means we do not have to fund raise for the walk but we know how important the funds are to those who need them, so we continue to raise money and this year we are able to keep them right here."

Team Keepin 'em Real will set up a scholarship fund for students with families affected by breast cancer. The team will also donate to Susan G. Komen Aspen Affiliate to help with life-saving tests, treatments and education in Eagle, Pitkin and Garfield counties and to the Vail Breast Cancer Group.

For anyone interested in driving in the Crawling for a Cure event, the entry fee is $100 for one class and $50 for each additional class. Competition will be divided as follows:

• Stock Class - Full body vehicles with tires up to 35 inches

• Modified Class - Full body vehicles with tires up to 40 inches

• Unlimited Class A - Any vehicles with tires 42 inches or smaller

• Unlimited Class B - Any vehicles with tires 43 inches or bigger

For the record, "Unlimited" means any vehicle. Drivers can run in Stock or Modified and Unlimited A or B, but must run the harder course. The cost to enter is $100 and $50 extra to enter an additional class. Cash prizes will be awarded for each class.

The Take a Swing at Cancer Golf Tournament and BBQ is Saturday, Oct. 20, at Gypsum Creek Golf Course.

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. followed by a shotgun start at 10 a.m. Entry costs $30 per person and includes a cart, range balls and green fees. Prizes will be awarded.

A silent auction and barbecue follows the tournament. The buffet-style meal is $20 per person. A cash bar, live music and DJ entertains from 3 to 8 p.m. A special bone-marrow testing drive is also planned.

The benefit is for Eagle County Sheriff Detective Kyle Hall, who is fighting leukemia. Hall has lived in Gypsum about 12 years and served on Gypsum Town Council from 2008 to 2012.

Donations may be sent to Wells Fargo Bank in Eagle. Please specify, "In care of Kyle Hall, 2608540627."

For more information about the golf tournament, contact Gypsum Creek Golf Course at 970-524-6200.

• The next Brush Fork and Cork event at Dewey Dabbles in Art is scheduled tonight, Oct. 4. The picture is Pumpkin and Corn and $35 covers everything. Painting starts at 6:30 p.m. For more information call Jennifer at 970-328-7687 or visit www.deweydabblesinart.com. Dewey Dabbles in Art is located at 50 Chambers Ave. next to the Back Bowl.

• Eagle Ranch Fitness Club is now offering a 20 percent off all annual memberships. For more information contact Ellen Sirico at 970-328-5770.

• Denver Post columnist Rich Tosches offered a shout out to the Eagle Valley Enterprise in his Sunday column. Titled "You can't make this stuff up," Toches's column talked about various police blotter items from around the state and featured several stories from the Enterprise. We agree with his analysis. You can't make this stuff up.

Author Linda Weaver Clarke will host a Family Legacy Workshop Saturday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m. at the Eagle Public Library.

During the two-hour workshop, Clarke will help participants turn their family histories into stories, and make ancestors come alive on paper. She will also discuss some of the most important elements of writing, including setup, characters, plot and the significance of conflict and emotion.

"This is the 'read between the dates' part of family history," says Jaci Spuhler, the Local History and Archives Librarian for the Eagle Valley Library District. "You know birth and death dates but it's the stories that come between those dates that make our ancestors memorable. Linda is just the person to help put all of this together."

Some of Linda Weaver Clarke's fiction work is available for checkout at the Eagle Public Library. She is the author of eleven fiction novels; five historical romances and four are mystery adventures. Clarke has also written two non-fiction e-books, including "Writing Your Family Legacy," published in 2011.

The Family Legacy Workshop is free but registration is necessary due to limited space. To register, call Jaci at the Eagle Public Library, 970-328-8800.

The next Alive @ 25 class is planned Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Colorado Department of Transportation/Colorado State Patrol building in Glenwood Springs. Class begins promptly at 4:30 p.m.

Alive at 25 is a 4 1⁄2 hour driver awareness program sponsored by the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation (501c3 nonprofit). This single-class program has proven to be the most effective driver awareness class in the United States and it demonstrates a substantially lower percentage of teen deaths compared to those who did not take this class or took another class.

The cost is $39 for those taking the class to attain their drivers permit. Those who are required to attend due to courts or other authorities have a $79 tuition. This National Safety Council multimedia class is designed specifically for those drivers (or soon to be drivers) between the ages of 14 through 24.

The program is taught by current or retired Colorado State Patrol Troopers. Successful completion of this program will result in the immediate issuance of a National Safety Council Certificate, eligibility to get a driver's permit six months early, waiver of the required six hours of behind the wheel practice with a commercial instructor, and a possible reduction in liability insurance. For further information, to sign up, or make a tuition payment, go to www.aliveat25.us or call (866) 605-3900.